Power of Nothing
by Kalessin
Summary: Riku's side of the story... [eventual RikuXAnsem]
1. Author's Note: The Dare

If you want just the story, feel free to skip this chapter. 

**The Setting:**

I rarely go in for slash fics, and have been known to make derogatory comments on the subject when pressed. It was under these circumstances that the challenge was finally issued me - to write one of my own. 

I would be lying to say that this is my first experience in the development of one, though it was long ago, far away, and has been placed behind me as just the beginning of my roleplaying/writing career. 

I suppose my resistance against fanfics is due to three factors - bad writing, bad pairing, and people forcing alternate personalities on characters, and messing up the people I grew to know and love, for the sake of a little lemon. Before you make judgments - I'll state this. I am bi, and have nothing wrong with pairings - same-sex, or not. I just don't like two characters that would not ever 'get together' being forced to, which makes this whole thing pretty entertaining. Alright, enough with the rant - here's the dare. 

This dare was made to me by a Gaia friend whom I shall keep anonymous: and here are the conditions. Using one anime or manga of my choice, I was to do exactly what I am usually leery against - pair two same-sex characters (or vice versa, if their orientation was geared towards yaoi/yuri) together and weave a plotline that would accommodate this, as well as tie into the actual story. I was not allowed to rewrite the story itself, but instead provide a behind-the-scenes, companion story - no crossovers. I was to write at least one graphic scene. I was not allowed to use custom characters. I was not allowed to use characters only seen in one episode or chapter, and although secondary characters were allowed, it had to be ones well-known enough to be recognized by people who had only 'seen a little of it.' For extra credit, I was to use two main characters. The anime or manga had to be well-known. The fic could not be a one-shot. Finally, I had to complete it. 

The bet is that I am incapable of this, and will surrender to her three thousand gold and thirty dollars cash. I have no intention of backing down from this challenge, and fully expect to receive three thousand gold on successful completion. Then I shall go and stare at my computer in utter disbelief that I actually wrote this. 

So, without further ado... here goes my reputation, for the sake of winning. I hope you enjoy it, for I sure intend to. 

_- - -_

_The storyline is one that is thick in fallacious symbolism and bad voice acting on the part of the main character - and for years, the one video game I swore for years that I would never touch. This is the reason that at anime conventions, you will see people not only in oversized, strange outfits, playing characters known worldwide... but playing characters developed in the US decades ago. _

_This is the story brought by the unholy union of Squaresoft and Disney._

_This... is Kingdom Hearts._

_Welcome to oblivion._


	2. Chapter One: Dark Storm

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Riku's Report #1 - Dark Storm

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_The noonday sun reflected off of the shifting waters and white beach, lighting up the small island until it practically glowed. A few birds squalled above, circling the sand in search of small sandcrawlers. _

_A small lizard, flecked with brown, blinked, sunning itself on the railing of the great wooden ramp that connected the small arboreal village to the beach. It cocked its head, listening intently as two voices made themselves heard. _

"_It's true! I saw it with my own eyes!"_

"_You sure you didn't just hear it this time?"_

_The two boys continued their leisurely stroll down the spiraling wooden ramp and towards the bridge, and the lizard darted away, out of sight. _

"_What difference does it make?" the leader of the two asked, his fingers laced behind his head as he walked. "There's a huge monster in there, I tell you!"_

_His silver-haired friend followed him, watching his best friend with an amused nonchalance. "All right. Suppose there really is a monster... Think we can beat it by ourselves, Sora?"_

_Sora continued along for a ways, finally stopping at the mouth of the cavern. "No problem! Let's do it!"_

_His friend met his grin, and returned it. _

"_Listen! There! Can you hear it growling?"_

_Riku leaned forward, spreading his arms in preparation to either spring into battle, or flee. "Shh. Quiet. We've gotta be careful," he warned in hushed tones._

"_See that? It was just the wind making that noise."_

"_Aww man. I wish it was a monster!"_

"_Hold on! What's that over there?"_

_Walking forward, Riku placed his hands on the wall. "A window, or maybe a door? It won't open."_

"_Geez," Sora said, "is that really all that's down here?"_

"_What do you expect in a boring place like this?"_

_Sora looked away, to the dark walls of the cavern. He was about to reply, when Riku interrupted his thoughts. "Hey, Sora."_

"_Hm?"_

"_When we grow up," his friend continued, "let's get off this island. We'll go on real adventures, not this kid stuff!"_

"_Sure," Sora agreed readily, making his way back to the cave's entrance. "But isn't there anything fun to do now?"_

"_Hey, you know the new girl at the mayor's house?"_

- - - -

"Hey," Riku called out, pausing for a moment to join the pair. "Aren't you guys forgetting about me?" He rolled his eyes, shaking his head. _What am I gonna do with you two?_ "So. Guess I'm the only one working on the raft," he chided, adding a gentle emphasis to 'raft' as a reminder about what they _ought_ to be spending the afternoon on. With that, he tossed the log he'd been carrying to Sora, who, true to form, not only failed to catch it, but fell on his back with a cry. Kairi giggled, watching as Sora slowly picked himself off the sand, rubbing his head.

"And you're just as lazy as he is," Riku added, stalking over to Kairi and placing his hands on his hips in mock anger.

"Hehe, so you noticed," Kairi grinned. Okay, we'll finish it together!" As Riku spread out on the beach, the girl continued. "I'll race you!"

"Huh?"

"What? Are you kidding?" Riku asked tiredly.

With another giggle, Kairi raised her hands. "Ready? GO!"

Sora and Riku exchanged glances, the initial look of 'yeah, right' changing to a mutual challenge as each saw the 'weakness' in the other. As one, the two boys rose to their feet and took off across the sand.

Riku pulled ahead quickly, glancing back with a grin to Sora, who was staring ahead of him, determined to catch up with his rival.

All talk of rafts forgotten, the three tore away across the beach, Kairi laughingly following the boys.

- - - -

"Still working on that?"

Pulling on a vine-rope knot to keep it taut, Riku gave a distracted grunt, straightening up to look at his handiwork. "What a work ethic. Try none... am I the only one who cares about this thing?"

"It's pretty," Selphie nodded, looking it over. "But you guys are coming back, right? I mean, you can't leave forever... besides, you don't wanna worry your mom _too_ much."

"Nah," Riku shrugged. "She'll be okay. Doesn't seem to really care what I do these days, anyway. Have you seen Sora?"

"Um..."

"Let me guess. With Kairi?"

"I don't know," Selphie replied, twisting shyly from side to side. "I saw him earlier today, but he ran off somewhere."

"What a surprise." He walked around the raft's edge, checking all the knots he had made so far, and cut the rope, tying it in the middle of the log closest to him, weaving it around the other logs and beginning to knot it around the far log.

"You're pretty good at that," Selphie commented, and Riku glanced up.

"Thanks. Hand me that knife, will ya?"

"Sure!"

Riku accepted it, double-checking the knot's strength before cutting the rope and starting in on the other end.

Selphie watched him work. "So, is it almost done?"

"Almost. Damn it, where _are_ they?" Riku stepped back. "You know what? I've done enough. I'm not making this thing all by myself if we're all gonna use it."

"You'd better write," the girl grinned. "I wanna hear all about it!"

"Who knows, maybe I will," Riku replied.

"Selphie! Dinner!" a voice rang out, and Selphie grinned.

"Oh yeah! Coming!" To Riku, she waved. "See ya!"

"Later."

- - - -

That evening, the three watched the sun dip below the horizon, turning the ocean into a river of gold. A gentle breeze ruffled Riku's hair, carrying with it the scent of the ocean - fish, salt, seaweed...

"So..." Sora started, breaking the companionable silence, "Kairi's home is out there somewhere, right?" He gazed out across the ocean, idly swinging his legs as they dangled over the sideways-bent tree that he and Kairi shared. Riku leaned against its base, his arms folded.

"Could be," Riku replied. "We'll never know by staying here."

"But how far could a raft take us?" Sora wondered, leaning forward past Kairi to watch Riku.

Riku didn't look up, but shrugged. "Who knows? If we have to... we'll think of something else."

"So suppose you get to another world," Kairi mused, laughing. "What would you do there?"

"Hm. Well, I..." Riku paused, repeating the question to himself. What _would_ he do? "...Haven't really thought about it. It's just... I've always wondered... why we're here... on this island. If there are any other worlds out there, why did we end up on this one? And suppose there are other worlds. Then ours is just a little piece of something much greater. So, we could have easily ended up somewhere else, right?" He glanced up at Sora and Kairi.

Sora flipped over to lie on his back, his gangly legs dangling to either side of him on the tree trunk. "I dunno."

"Exactly. That's why we need to go out there and find out," Riku finished, straightening and taking a step towards the surf. "Just sitting here won't change a thing. It's the same old stuff," he continued, more to himself than to his friends, staring out across the waves. "So let's go."

"You've been thinking a lot lately, haven't you?" Kairi asked.

"Thanks to you," Riku said, turning his back on the sea. "If you hadn't come here, I probably wouldn't have thought of any of this. Kairi... thanks."

"You're welcome."

Silence fell once again, and after a while, Kairi stretched. "We should be getting back."

"Yeah, okay," Sora agreed, sliding off the branch and crouching to diminish his fall. "Hey, Riku, you coming or what?"

Riku grinned. "Sure."

Riku followed a little ways behind, suddenly glancing up. A yellow fruit hung from a low-hanging branch, and leaping up, he snagged it, hastening to catch up.

"Sora!" he called, and as the boy turned, he tossed the star-shaped fruit to him. "You wanted one, didn't you?"

"A paopu fruit?"

"If two people share one," Riku explained, walking past the puzzled Sora, "their destinies become intertwined. They'll become a part of each other's lives... no matter what." He paused, then decided to rib the boy a little. "Come on, I know you wanna try it."

"What are you tal-" Sora's question was cut off by Riku's laughter. Tossing it aside, he chased after Riku, who took off running.

- - - -

That night found Riku leaning against the railing, staring out to the ocean. His thoughts had grown... more and more restless, lately. He couldn't sleep...

"_There's a huge monster in there, I tell you!"_

He wasn't sure what caused him to make his way to the 'secret spot', the one that Sora had discovered, long ago. By the wan, shivering light of the half moon, he retraced the same steps he and the others had taken so many times before. It was pitch black inside, but Riku knew the stones by heart, and he climbed down easily, making the final leap onto solid ground without hesitation.

But this time, unlike so many others, there was a sinister whisper in the air, a heaviness that was not there before. The air was thick, and still...

"_Listen! There! Can you hear it growling?"_

Riku glanced about, adopting a more defensive stance, and slowly edging out into the darkness. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

--The door... will open soon.--

Riku's eyes narrowed. The door...?

"_Hold on! What's that over there?" _

"_A window, or maybe a door? It won't open."_

As Riku glanced over to where he knew it lay, the voice - if something he wasn't even sure he heard aloud counted as a voice - hummed its approval. --The door to this world now has a place in another.--

For a moment, Riku considered this. "Where does it lead?"

--The heart of this world... of all worlds. Everlasting darkness.--

"That's all?"

--Darkness is all there ever will be. All that is real is born from darkness, and fades to darkness. You will come to understand... soon...--

"... Hey, wait-"

And he was alone.

- - - -

They completed the raft the next day, but Riku's heart wasn't into his work. Kairi bit the bottom of her lip, but didn't inquire what was wrong, and Riku didn't offer anything.

When they dragged it out to the dock, Sora gave a jubilant cry. "We did it, guys!" Kairi leapt up with him, happily dancing on the beach, while Riku looked on, only partially hearing them.

_The door... leads to darkness? 'Darkness is all there ever will be...' there's gotta be something more than that. Does he mean that across this ocean there's only darkness?_

_...But that door..._

"Come on, Riku!" Sora cried, taking hold of Riku's wrist and breaking him out of his reverie. "I'll race you!"

"Haha."

"I'll judge!" Kairi ran off, climbing onto a ledge.

"Okay. If I win... I'm captain. And if you win-"

"I get to share a paopu with Kairi," Riku interrupted.

"Huh?"

"Winner gets to share a paopu with Kairi."

"W-wait a minute-"

"Okay, on my count!"

- - - - -

Riku returned to the cavern that night, too, only this time, he brought a torch. The presence was there, waiting for him. Riku waited for a moment, but when the voice said nothing more, he stepped forward.

--You do not need to see where your heart will take you,-- the voice admonished. --The darkness will guide you...--

There was a slight swish, and the light went out. Riku started to yell back, but instead sighed, and took a step forward. _I'm not afraid of the dark._

He knew where the door was...

- - - - -

The once gentle breeze turned into a fierce gale. The palms bent under the ferocity of the storm, an angry swirl of amethyst and obsidian glaring balefully at the small island. Riku stood on the beach, seemingly above the storm, his eyes closed in concentration.

"Where's Kairi?" Sora demanded, running up. "I thought she was with you!"

"The door... is open..."

"What?"

Riku turned, the uncertainty in his voice melting away. "The door is open, Sora! Now we can go to the outside world!"

"What are you talking about?!" Sora yelled, trying to make his voice heard over the tempestuous winds. "We gotta find Kairi!"

"Kairi's coming with us!" Riku replied. Sora's look of surprise faded into a glare as Riku looked to the ball of shadow, and continued. "Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!"

He could feel the heaviness to the air, and reached out to Sora, holding out his hand.

"Riku..."

A circle of violet shadow expanded beneath Riku's feet, and still he stood strong, his stance powerful, his eyes inviting, and his hand outstretched. Tendrils of shadows, hesitant at first, then growing in multitude, reached up to surround him, spiraling up his body. And still Riku didn't move.

Sora leapt forward, trying to reach his friend, but couldn't break from the shadows as they twined about him. In desperation, he reached out, struggling to reach Riku.

Riku watched him, his face a mask of dead calm, his mind an impenetrable barrier of determination and resolve. _I'm not afraid._

Through the swirl, Sora fought, trying to grab Riku's hand...

...and then...

...darkness.

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A/N: ...That was really annoying to write. I am so glad that I'm not following Sora, or I'd have to transcribe the whole game.

I know I wanted to avoid author's notes, but apparently I can't seem to. This is not going to be the average chapter length, as I'm going to try to keep them in sizable chunks, but let's face it, I have one hell of a long cutscene to get through, and I wanted to get to MY plot as soon as I could. (Find the scenes that I actually wrote...)

_Kingdom Hearts is cutscene happy, and KH2 is pretty much one long cinematic. In KH3, do we just get a fifteen-day long movie...?_

_I can't believe I got a reviewer on the explanation of what I was doing, (so thrilled for that) and thanks to bennyjr123 on Youtube, for his Kingdom Hearts: The series. If you want to see the cinematics I describe, feel free to look him up._

To ChibiFrubaGirl: One, you utterly rock for replying on the disclaimer/'we'll see how this goes'. Yes, there will be much lemony bondage goodness, but I had to stick to the storyline, and since I wasn't willing to just jump in somewhere and NOT show the happiness of torturing and misleading Riku as he spirals down into 'darkness', I started where I could, which meant writing out things... verbatim. Where the cutscenes end, or fade to another scene, I can add... this chapter, as most first chapters are, is safe. Next one? No promises. ;-)

_NEXT CHAPTER: Elder Force_

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. If I did, Sora's voice acting would be better. **


	3. Chapter Two: Elder Force

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Riku's Report #2: Elder Force

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_And then..._

_...darkness..._

_Can you really fall if there's no direction?_

_There was no sense of time, or space... one could feel both acrophobia and claustrophobia, here, in the never ending darkness. A light, a shining star, erupted in the gloom, but it was far away, far behind... long ago... something..._

_...nothing..._

_I..._

_He couldn't distinguish thought from action. Here, in this nothing world, engulfed by shadows, feeling them swirl about them - tangible? - was there anything? A past... a present... a future... nothing, here, not even a now. He cries out, and the darkness swallows his voice before he can make a sound._

_He will look about him. He looked about him. He looks about himself, feeling shadows of his action preceding and following his own. A wave of his hand takes place now, or had already happened, or is about to happen - or did he wave it at all? -... but he hasn't the senses to see..._

_Where am I...? Darkness... through the door... there is nothing but darkness..._

_And another mind answered, darker, stranger... and yet painfully familiar..._

_Open your eyes, and see._

There was an audible _thud_ as Riku fell, landing hard on the cold floor. His eyes watered, and he shut them against the sudden light about him - even a dim lighting was agony after pure darkness. There were sounds - after the sheer nothingness, a whisper was as grating as a jackhammer. He groaned, shaking his head in an attempt to clear it...

Slowly, the distant sound grew meaning... _that's right, words..._

"At last."

Riku lifted his head, in a vain attempt to reclaim himself from the darkness. A black haze tinged with red clouded his vision, and the motion caused everything to fade away to a distant blackness.

- - - - -

When he woke again, he was alone. The first thing he saw was turquoise - streams of something wafting up from the edge of whatever he was on.

Groaning, he drew himself up to a kneeling position, closing his eyes as the world swam before them. Riku hesitated only a second before forcing his body to his feet, swaying dangerously as directions reasserted themselves in his disjointed mind. "Where am I...?" The fogginess in his mind evaporated the instant he noted where, exactly, he was... or rather, where he _wasn't._

Smooth, cold stone spread away beyond him, a steep cliff into nothing. In the distance rose rocks, or platforms... Riku gave a little cry, backing up a few steps from the edge and into the center, casting about desperately for any sign of the dear and familiar. Everywhere around him was an expanse of emptiness or platforms just like his. For just a second he stumbled, taking a step forward to balance himself, and spread his arms wide, adopting his classic defensive stance to mask it. "Sora!" he screamed, hoping against hope for a reply. "Kairi!"

Their names bounced back at him in mutilated form, a mocking echo.

For the first time in his life, Riku felt utterly and completely alone...

He hung his head, defeated, and closed his eyes. _Where are you?_

_I don't even know if you're alive..._

There was a click above him, and Riku glanced up.

Magnificent and poised, the picture of malevolence... she was a figure comprised entirely of edges. Her cloak swirled about her, seemingly in motion even when she was perfectly, unnervingly still... the only thing that seemed to follow him were golden eyes that glittered with cold intelligence.

"Who are you?"

Her voice had an odd accent - every word perfectly formed, her annunciation precise, her diction perfect. There was no warmth in her tone, as she addressed him. "One who would lend you aid... if you will accept it." The click had been of her staff striking stone.

Riku's eyes narrowed, and he drew back. The creature - she couldn't possibly be human, didn't _feel_ human, laughed. "Afraid?"

"What, of you?" Riku laughed, though he didn't feel as confident as he wished he did. The dark figure raised her head regally, arching one thin eyebrow. In one simple gesture, she managed to convey all the mockery and smugness of the world... "Get real." He crossed his arms, staring up at the figure above him with all the bravery he could muster.

"I am real," she replied softly, her voice almost gentle... in the way that a scorpion is almost delicate. "Would you rather I lie to you, as you are to me?"

"No. I'd rather a straight answer."

The dark witch's lips twisted in a slight smile. "Come, then."

- - - - - -

Maleficent could not be called beautiful in the ordinary sense. She could not be called motherly, nor affectionate. She could not be called benevolent. There was no kindness in her heart, the only potential exception being towards her raven familiar, Diablo. Yet... she could be called fair in her dealings, something rare in even the most kind-hearted of people. She was by nature impartial in all matters aside her own, dealing with any situation logically first, emotionally second. Maleficent was one who could see and listen to reason other than her own ideas, provided it was presented to her with the same cold, calculated reason she herself used. She did not demand love, praise, even affection... merely respect, fear, loyalty, and common sense.

Moreover, Maleficent kept her promises, whether they were of good or ill intent, mutual destruction or benefit.

There was quite probably no one besides her raven who had ever come to know her quite as well as Riku.

As the days passed, or, more correctly, as time passed - he no longer saw sun or moon, stars or sky - she kept to her promise. No matter what, she never lied to him, never told him a direct untruth, and Riku followed her for that. She showed him how to harness the darkness incarnate, how to embrace what was given him. She aided him in his quest to

reunite with his friends... and in return...

In return, he fought for her, using the dark to further his own powers, and her own. "I seek dominion over this new darkness, these Heartless, that overwhelm the worlds, and you seek your friends. Aid me with the one, and I shall aid you with the other. And lo! The goals of you and I even coincide..."

He had done so, faithfully, and slowly, she poured darkness over him, tempting him with visions of power, fleeting wisps of something far more, and the knowledge that he, too, would one day become thus.

And she, too, had faithfully kept her bargain, sending out on black wings her eyes and ears, and looking out through the crystal sphere atop her staff through the worlds, seeking hints of Sora and Kairi. Her promise had been to aid Riku in his search, and she had.

She had not, however, promised to reveal her findings... until it suited her own dark purposes.

And when she found them, she smiled, arching her head high. "Servants of vanished King... friend of fallen boy. Fortuitous as your union be, how much more so for me..."

- - - - - -

"My dear boy," Maleficent crooned, gliding into his room. "I bring you news, tidings of good and ill..."

Riku, who had been staring listlessly at the wall, sat up. "What happened? Kairi? Sora? Are they okay?"

"The boy you call Sora... yes, he is fine. Far more so than you, it would seem."

"Explain," Riku demanded, folding his arms.

"Listen well," Maleficent instructed, with a sweep of her arm. An image flashed across the crystal ball atop her staff. "Behold your childhood friend, the boy with whom you swore never to part. See? New friends follow him wherever he goes. I wonder if he still needs you..." Sora's picture vanished.

"Yeah, so? I made 'friends', too," Riku pointed out, unconvinced.

"But of course, Riku... of course you did. You could not wander the worlds alone... not without an initial guide."

He nodded, satisfied. "Exactly my point."

"Very well," Maleficent said with a gracious bow of her head. "I am certain you know him far greater than I do... for while I merely know people's hearts, you know his soul..."

"Where is he?"

Maleficent smiled, truly smiled. "I will show you."

- - - - - -

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. If I did, Light Yagami would not be the one to speak Riku's lines.**

I saw the name Mamoru Miyano when I was researching Riku. Anyone who knows me at all knows that I've religiously followed Death Note since the first manga was translated over into the US, and I know the voice actors of the cast by heart... hardly surprising. Yes... this is Light's seiyuu as well as Riku's... rather entertaining, if you watch the subtitled cinematics involving Riku knowing this. (And yes, I know who voices who... at least, the important roles, in my opinion.)

Another entertaining side note - the Japanese voices for Spike Spiegel and Faye Valentine were in the DK movie, and sang a duet about colored bananas. It pays to know your actors, kiddos, if you want a cheap giggle.

Here's a few other things I discovered as I looked at a few of the other characters...

If you like Riku's English voice, watch Simon in Seventh Heaven. Same person.

As for Sora, his English VA was in Cole in Sixth Sense, and his Japanese counterpart voiced Haku in Spirited Away. Miyu Irino, his other voice actor, had worked with Haley Joel Osmont before, as he voiced the Japanese dub for Cole in Sixth Sense... the same role that Sora's English actor had played. Odd how things come full circle, no?

Kairi's English voice actor was on Malcolm in the Middle a lot, and starred in Ally McBeal. She was also Suri in Dinosaur.

Billy Zane, Ansem's voice actor, (cough if you want to, oh people who know the plot beyond KH1) also was in Back to the Future, along with a lot of other films. He was Brodi in SSX Tricky - beyond that, he has no other video game roles.

A good deal of the original Disney actors had died, and had sound-alikes for KH - Maleficent (As mangled as her lines were) was voiced by Susan Blakeslee, who was another one of those 'been in everything' people. This includes Powerpuff Girls, Cow and Chicken, and the Oracle in God of War.

Now if you're anything like me, you're going to go over a few things, trying to see similarities in the characters... hehe.

Sora: I see dead people...

Riku: I will create a new world, over which I intend to rule as a god for quite some time.

Ansem: Live to surf, surf to live.

Kairi: Look at all the Aladars!

Welcome to the fun of voice mix'n'match.


	4. Chapter Three: Bad Union

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Riku's Report #3: Bad Union

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Through the blackened haze, cloaked in shadow, Riku followed Maleficent's directions - or rather, the feel of the place she had given him. It had to be exact...

_"Precision is the key to all travels, no matter where or through what," she lectured, gliding past him. "Always know where you are going..." here she stopped, looking ahead, "or prepare to lose your way. Beware wandering the darkness, Riku. It will not hesitate to claim you."_

Distorted by time and space, odd echoes drifted back to Riku's mind - cries of pain, battle shouts, voices...

All the same, the constant whisper in the back of his mind caused him almost to lose focus. It said nothing, just providing a presence in his consciousness, neither strengthening nor abating. Riku was beginning to learn to ignore it.

One voice out of millions...

...but when everything else is muted, the one thing is easy to find.

If darkness has anything, it's the power of silence.

There was a screeling cry, and the darkness gave way. Riku leapt clear, slashing out with his sword to dispel the waiting Heartless, then turned to the small group the Shadows had been pursuing.

"There you are," Riku grinned, shouldering his blade. "What's going on?"

"Riku!" Sora exclaimed, running over to his friend. Riku blinked in surprise as Sora proceeded to tug his friend's mouth into odd shapes. He recovered quickly enough, batting Sora away with a laugh.

"Hey, hey, cut it out."

"I'm not dreaming this time... right?"

"I hope not," Riku replied with a chuckle, brushing strands of hair from his eyes. They immediately fell back into place. "It took me forever to find you."

Sora grinned back. "Riku!"

- - - - -

Reunited, the friends started off - when suddenly Sora halted in midstride. "Wait a second. Where's Kairi?"

"Isn't she with you?" Riku turned, his look of puzzlement changing as Sora hung his head, defeated. "Well, don't worry," he continued quickly, walking past Sora as he began to pace, "I'm sure she made it off the island, too. He glanced back to the younger boy, then up at the buildings. "We're finally free. Hey, she might even be looking for us now. We'll all be together again soon."

He paused, then grinned. "Don't worry. Just leave everything to me. I know this-"

A metallic ring echoed, and he turned back, alarmed. What he saw, however, surprised him even more.

Sora was crouched low, his right hand held behind him, gripping an odd weapon of sorts. _Is that a key?_

Riku watched as Sora straightened up, expertly twirled the thing, and laid it confidently on his shoulder. "Leave it to _who?_"

Riku started towards Sora, not quite sure he believed what he'd just seen. Was this really...? "Sora... w-what did you..."

"I've been looking for you." Sora replied evenly. "And Kairi, too. With their help."

_Speaking of..._ "Who are they?"

For the first time, Riku truly looked at Sora's new companions. Whatever they were... _A duck... I think... and... whatever that thing is. You sure find strange people to hang with..._

The first of them was of small stature, wearing a vest and a hat. It was pure white, with a large orange bill and matching webbed feet. Riku was almost certain he was a duck at some point or other, come to think of it... _Kinda creepy, how it goes around with a shirt but no pants..._

Riku ended that thought immediately, and turned his attention to appraise the second of Sora's companions.

The taller one was what got Riku's attention. Two buck teeth jutted out from a soft muzzle, topped by what could have either been king of all olives or a ovuloid nose. He nodded along with his companion, loose ears flopping at his side. He wore a green vest, gloves, and baggy tan pants, as well as a pair of goggles. Unlike the first, Riku had no earthly idea what it could have been.

"Ahewm," the duck started, and Riku blinked. The thing sounded nasal, hoarse and slightly whiney, all at once. "Mhy name ish-"

"We visited so many places and worlds, looking for you," Sora interrupted, much to Riku's relief. How Sora could stand that was beyond him... maybe you just got used to it...?

"Really?" Riku mused. "Well, what do you know. I never would have guessed."

Inwardly, he smirked. _I knew it... he wouldn't abandon me, or Kairi. I knew it..._

"Orr, and guess what?" the other companion started in, and mentally, Riku rolled his eyes. _What did you do, hire from the circus? _"Saora's the keyblade myaster!"

"Who would've thought it?" At least, that's what it _sounded _like the duck said...

Riku ignored them, reaching out and snagging the strange weapon while the three were otherwise occupied. He set to inspect it as Sora whirled upon the duck, who glared up at him with crossed arms-wings? No, they were definitely arms- in defiance.

"What's that mean?!"

"So... this is called a keyblade?"

"Huh?" Sora looked up, then glanced to his clearly empty hand. "Hey! Give it back!"

As the one ran forward to reclaim his new toy- ...er... weapon, the other stepped back, raising it high. Riku held the pose for just a moment before giving a mental shrug. "Catch."

"Woah-" Sora caught it, fumbling with it for a moment before getting a firm grip on the thing. _Smooth as always, I see. Heh._

"Okay. So you're coming with us, right? We've got this _awesome_ rocket! Wait till ya see it!"

"Nroo!" the duck squawked indignantly. "He can't com-muh!"

"What?"

"Forget it!"

Riku stared at the two, suddenly wary. Surely not...

Sora leaned down, as if to confer. "Oh, come on! He's my friend!"

_Oh, now I get it,_ Riku thought bitterly. _ You'd rather stick around with the traveling circus and ask their permission? Ask them if I can come too? Maybe you should ask 'pretty please.' Jeez, Sora, you've only known me your whole life. Guess I'm not all _that _important to you._

"I don't care!"

_If that's how it's gonna be... Maleficent was right about you. I can't believe I stood up for you. I thought I knew you, Sora..._

He stepped back and past the town, fading out of sight. Inwardly he seethed. How _dare_ Sora even consider ditching him?! After all this time, what did he do? Demand that Riku come, or that he go with Riku now? No... he had to ask permission-

As he left, he caught the last few pieces of speech.

_"He's gawrne!"_

"Riku? ...Nice going. Oh, well..."

Stick together, huh? Best friends forever, huh? Yeah, right.

As he left the darkness, Riku could swear he heard a faint, echoing laugh. It stayed with him far after he stepped clear into the palace hall, stalking away in fury.

The last echoes of the laugh remained with him as he punched the wall in anger, ignoring the pain in his fist.

Presently he drew away, taking a deep breath that ended in a sigh, and turned to go, stopping only when Maleficent's dark figure glided to his side. The monitor screens on the opposite wall blinked to show a relaxed and happy Sora and the Dorky Duo, now playing at a 'tube near you...

Riku's face became impassive, but his fists clenched.

"You see?" she asked, sounding vaguely annoyed. "It's just as I told you. While you toiled away trying to find your dear friend, he quite simply replaced you with some new companions. Evidently, now he values them for more than he does you. You're better off without that wretched boy." Her voice grew progressively softer, gentler, and eventually she crouched slightly to place an arm about Riku's tense shoulders, her dark glare softening to a cold smile. "Now, think no more of him, and come with me. I'll help you find what you're searching for..."

- - - - - -

From then on, Riku obeyed every order given him. Maleficent brought him before a council of others, introducing him as her apprentice. Largely what this meant was that he became an errand boy of sorts, helping retrieve things. It did not escape his notice, however, that their attentions were largely focused upon Sora...

...well, let them focus. Riku became more and more disgusted with every new thing he saw. It wasn't as if Sora really cared about him or Kairi anymore - all he seemed set on doing was running about randomly, killing what he could and making friends with just about everything else. He certainly didn't seem too interested in finding older, supposedly dearer ones...

Blinking, Riku returned from his reverie and back into the present, where the blue-haired... alright, it was pushing it to call a mess of flame _hair_... where the fire-headed Hades was talking. "That smarmy vizier could've had 'em... if someone had stuck around to give them a hand."

"Hey, I did my part," Riku replied, only a slight hint of bitterness in his voice. _Do what you want, but I'm not about to help kill Sora. Some of us remember who our friends... were. _"I brought the princess, didn't I?"

"Jafar was beyond help, consumed by his own hared," Maleficent' mellifluous voice smoothly cut in. "One should beware of letting it burn too fiercely."

"Whoa, whoa - lighten up," Hades said, a nervous laugh edging his voice. "I'm as cool as they come, okay?"

He turned to Riku. "By the way, kid, have we got something special for you."

"Huh?" Riku looked from Hades to Maleficent.

"We had a deal, yes?" Maleficent asked. Green lights lit the table, a circle spiraling outwards. "You help us..." Four smaller circles appeared, giving the circle edges - "...and we grant your wish."

A miniature image of Kairi appeared, floating above the circle.

Riku's reaction was instantaneous, leaping forward as if to embrace the small figure. "Kairi!"

"Go to her," Maleficent told him. "Your vessel is waiting."

Footsteps echoed, each step heralded with a precise click. The first thing Riku saw was red - the swaggering figure seemed to dress predominately in its color scheme, and favored ruffles and robes. "Just remember this is no pleasure cruise," he declared, twirling one of his two amazingly straight black whiskers. His hand was missing; in its place was a sharp, gleaming metal hook. "It won't be a pleasant voyage."

"Why are you doing all this for me?" Riku questioned, turning his attention back to Maleficent. "What's the catch?"

"Catch," Maleficent repeated softly, slowly turning. "What's the catch? Silly boy. You're like a son to me," she intoned, moving nearer to Riku, and reaching out a pale hand to caress his face. "I only want you to be happy."

Riku knocked her hand away, leaping back and out of her reach. "I seriously doubt that."

"Believe what you wish," Maleficent replied, "but lest we forget, I kept my end of the bargain."

Riku watched her for a while more, before slowly turning, and walking away.

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. If I did, Organization XIII would not be comprised of members all of whom have the character 'X' in their name.**

Not all Nobodies, (Namine a prime example) have either the anagram name and/or the 'x'. (though sometimes I think that the anagram is rare - what would Axel turn into, 'ale'? 'Alex'? ...maybe that's a bad example. What about Larxene? Relane?)

And by the way, there is one member who can still be anagramized into something entertaining and... disturbing.

Yes, I am referring to Xemnas/Mansex. Considering what the 'x'-less name anagrams to, it seems oddly fitting...

Oh, joy. More prescripted scenes. I cannot contain my excitement. How thrilling.

On Goofy - it was only last year that I figured out what exactly Goofy was. As far as I can tell, he's supposedly a dog. At least... I _think_ he is.

From here, I think I can manage to skip a few upcoming cinematics... and I probably ought to rewrite the desc... again... 


	5. Chapter Four: Buccaneers

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Riku's Report 4: Buccaneers

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Riku had never seen a real ship before.

He'd seen canoes; he'd owned one. He knew the sailboats that glided in the great bay before the reef, out of the way of the pounding waves, and he'd spent many a day upon one, often with a line cast deep into the water to lure the many fish that swam there. But the idea of a ship with three towering masts, an intricate web of ropes stretching from the crossbars to the masts, about the billowing sails, was far more than he had ever imagined. The proud curve of the prow as it made harbor rose far above the docks, and though Riku was tempted to stand beneath it and tilt his head up, he dispelled the urge. He was Maleficent's apprentice now, not some awe-struck boy.

"There she is," Hook announced with no small amount of pride, "the Jolly Roger. The finest man'o'war that ever sailed the seas."

"Eh," Riku shrugged, feigning indifference. "Guess it'll do."

The look on the captain's face was priceless.

Hook pushed past him, saying nothing more. As he followed, Riku allowed himself a smirk, shrugging his left shoulder to readjust the pack Maleficent had given him - rather, insisted that he take - for the voyage, and followed the captain up the ramp (only later did he learn it was called a 'gangplank') and onto the deck.

"Mr. Starkey, Mr. Smee, prepare to haul anchor. And for God's sake, secure that line!"

"Aye sir!"

The other, a bespectacled man, raised his hands to his mouth and shouted. "You heard the cap'n! Secure the lines! Man the capstan! Raise the Blue Peter!"

All this time, Riku stood there, unsure what to do and unwilling to admit it. He watched as the men unfurled the great sails, securing them, and still more took their places at the capstan. Yet one more man, dark locks of hair spilling about his handsome brown face, joined in, and lifted his voice in song:

"My name was William Kidd-"

The minute the one started in, the men took hold of the wooden bars and pushed, walking around it, and replied to the shantyman, "_When I sailed, when I sailed,"_

"My name was William Kidd,"

"-_when I sailed."_

"My name was William Kidd;

"God's laws I did forbid,

"And so wickedly I did-"

"When I sailed."

As the crew set about their various tasks, it struck Riku how much... energy they put into their tasks. Each act of manual toil was accompanied with a song to relieve the monotony, well-known anthems of the waves that all seemed to know.

"My parents taught me well, _when I sailed, when I sailed,_ my parents taught me well, _when I sailed - _My parents taught me well, to shun the gates of hell, but against them I rebelled, _when I sailed..."_

Riku wandered the deck, avoiding looking lost by surveying the crew with a critical eye. The thought occurred to him that for such an 'infamous' group, as he had heard from Maleficent, they managed to fail to be actually intimidating. Still, their way of accompanying every task with a song tailored to the rhythm of whatever it was they were doing was rather intriguing, if completely foreign. Whether they were pushing or pulling, or loading, they were singing. At the moment, two songs were being performed - one for raising the sails and the other for winding a chain - an anchor? - about the mushroom-shaped mechanism.

One particular tune wound its way into Riku's head, and as he walked, his footsteps became a little more pronounced. _How frightful, delightful, the singing of men - the ones who I've heard who would slay their own ken... and it's one to the ... great, they've got _me_ doing it. _ He tossed hair from his eyes with a flippant jerk of his head, turning smartly on his heel to pace back the way he had come to follow Hook.

And it's one to the lackeys and one to the lost, but none to the lad that has been double-crossed, and ya-hey, me hearties, away with ye, bullies, and make for the bay by sundown...

As Maleficent's chosen apprentice, a natural amount of respect and a little fear was his due, and while Hook would normally 'set anchor' in the chest of any cur that dared enter uninvited into his cabin, some deep instinct caused him to merely give warning of next time's dire consequences. He gave the boy a dark look, releasing the map he had been inspecting and letting it snap back into a loosely rolled scroll. "You may be free to gallivant about willy-nilly as Maleficent's pet, but this is my ship, and we have rules. _MY_ rules. If you want passage, I would enjoin you to follow them."

Riku folded his arms, leaning against the doorway. "Fair enough. But you can't hold me responsible for being where I'm not supposed to be if no one tells me it's off-limits. If you want me to play by your rules, then you tell me what they are first, and I'll think about it."

He watched as the captain's remaining hand clenched into a fist, and inwardly grinned as Hook conceded as graciously as he could. Calling for Smee, he instructed the bos'un to get Riku 'stowed away' properly, and then added to Riku, "And once you're established, I expect to see you with the crew."

He didn't wait to see his orders carried out, or for the too-cheerful 'Ay, ay, sir' that accompanied. Instead, with a flourish of his velvet cloak, he spun about and slammed the door after him.

The bespectacled pirate turned his attention to Riku with an almost apologetic look. "Oh, do forgive the cap'n... some things there is no reasoning with him on. Well, this way, then."

- - - - - -

Riku's impression of the man did not improve with time. Smee was dim-witted, forgiving, and all in all far too nice. He even paused to warn Riku: 'Watch your step, there's a nasty step there that always catches people off-guard.'

From the minor snatches of the crew he had gleaned from Maleficent, pirates were a vicious band of cutthroat, heartless ne'er-do-wells known for extreme brutality. The jovial devil-may-care attitude and habits of apologizing to each other they presented him clashed greatly with this, and as he opened the bag Maleficent gave him, he smiled.

Looks like he had some reading to do.

Riku shuffled through the bag, noting the few changes of clothing with a wry roll of his eyes - she had not given him a slight wardrobe as much as duplicate what he already was wearing - and then picked up an orange ball, staring at it.

"Oranges...?"

They were. Four books, one on frigates, one on piracy, one on maritime history and custom, and the last a novel called _Moby Dick,_ were laid atop three changes of clothing. The rest of the large pack was filled with oranges.

Riku had not seen an orange since he had left the island, but the sheer number of the round fruits caused him to blink in confusion.

"Oranges. That daft old bat gave me oranges. ...yeah, I don't get it."

He stashed the pack in a corner of the small room, which was mostly filled with a detachable hammock, and a small table and a solitary chair, and left. Smee was waiting for him.

"Was everythin' to yer likin?"

"I've had worse," Riku shrugged, and started back up. Part of him desperately wanted to retreat and start reading, but pitching in a bit first wouldn't kill him... he just hoped he wouldn't make it glaringly obvious he had no clue what he was doing.

- - - - - -

Riku wasn't sure what surprised him more - the fact that he joined in the songs (oftentimes, the refrains were so easy to remember that by the second or third voice he knew enough), or the fact that he enjoyed them. It seemed to take forever to actually set off: once the task had been completed, he allowed himself a satisfied grin.

"Alright lads, three degrees west by south! Clew up the royals and topsails; it'll not be by a fair wind that we sail!" Hook's orders were repeated by Smee, in case his bellow wasn't heard the first time 'round, and the crew set to work.

The ship glided easily out into the great sparkling bay, and Riku paused, noting the strange gleam in Hook's eye.

The wind blew around from the north, a great gust that filled the sails till the masts creaked in vague protest. Suddenly the direction of the wind changed to down and up... and the ship lifted out of the sea, into the spreading darkness that awaited it.

The sights and scents of the sea vanished, replaced by a dark mustiness, a feel of ancient territory. Riku suppressed a slight shiver as it swirled about his feet, filled with a vague whisper he could almost understand.

- - - - -

Once again, Riku was in a situation where he could not tell day and night apart. Captain James Hook had an odd phobia of clocks, so not a timepiece was found aboard the vessel. The lack of much to do, coupled with the fear that surrounded an already superstitious, and rather cowardly, group of men, did not do much for the collective mood.

That evening, or what they figured was evening, as Riku joined the crew in the mess deck for dinner, things began to fall apart.

"Look here who fin'lly decided ta show. So where are we headed to?" one, a bald man rippling with muscle asked.

Riku narrowed his eyes, and sat down.

"I asked you a question, boy."

"...Leave me alone."

"Didja hear that, bullies? The witch's errand boy wants to be left alone!"

The man's derision was not met with the raucous laughter he expected. Instead, to a man, the entire assembly watched Riku.

Seamen are a superstitious lot, and news like Maleficent spreads quickly, the inventive imaginations of those relating stories of her cruelty adding detail after gruesome detail, until even the bravest of hearts quivered. They knew better than to mess with a practitioner of dark arts, be it witchcraft, shadowcraft, or plain magic of any form.

Riku also noted that the lot of them often reacted more like children than adults.

"You think you're too good for us, is that it? You think that just cause you're the pet of a witch, you can go run crying into her cloak if something goes awry, and all will magically be better-"

Riku's fist shot out, and the man was knocked clear across the room. His head hit the wall, and he fell limply to the floor.

Riku glared about him, then turned on his heel and stalked out, leaving his bowl untouched.

From that day forward, Riku made it a point to eat either before or after the others, and often opted to take watch, relieving whoever was out at the time. Oftentimes, his only dining companion was the ship's cook, Mister Japes.

"Ye seem quieter than usu'l, lad. What be on yer mind?"

Riku lifted his spoon, blowing on the thin broth to cool it before sipping it. He'd learned what hard tack was a while back, and why it was generally a good idea to soften it in something before trying to eat it. As Japeson had put it, 'Break yer teeth off, that will. Keeps forever, though.'

Japes was currently relaxing, sitting opposite Riku with a bowl of his own. Riku picked at a piece of meat in the watery soup, sampling it judiciously before grunting in satisfaction. He hadn't ever tasted anything like it - couldn't quite place what it could be.

"Nothing. This is good."

Though the cook didn't look convinced, he didn't press. "Glad ye like it. Thar be plenty more whar tha' came from."

"What is it?" Riku asked conversationally, letting another spoonful cool a minute before lifting it to his mouth.

The cook grinned. "Miller, finest bred."

Riku considered this, mentally running over his recent studies, then shook his head. "Sorry."

"Yer pro'lly better off not knowin'," Japes laughed, then laughed again seeing Riku's sudden wariness. "Ye took to sea like ye knew it all yer life, but ye don't know hard tack from horse tack. Yer a strange boy, Riku-me-lad."

"I get that a lot," Riku shrugged. "I grew up on an island. That's all." He continued eating.

Japes took a swig from his tankard. "Ay, that'd do it. So how came ye to take up with the Dark Witch? Yer not like her, mark me."

Riku suddenly grew silent, and Japes laughed. "Oi, no need to get defensive. I was only curious. Not often we see someone who thinks he knows what he wants anymore, and not often ye talk about yerself."

"...Thinks he knows?"

The man shrugged amicably. "But it's none o' my business."

An uncomfortable silence fell.

"Something's been bothering me lately," Riku started again, suddenly. "I've been doing a bit of reading, lately -"

"Good pastime, that-"

"-and it occurred to me just why I don't like this place. It's not true to itself. These are pirates, right? Then why don't they act a bit more... ruthless? We passed a ship not too long ago, and all they did was yell and threaten. It almost feels... like they're children, playing at being pirates."

Japes sat up, looked about him, then leaned forward. "Ay, ay. That they are - yeh've struck the heart o' the matter."

"What do you mean...?"

For a while Japes was silent, then he looked up, beyond Riku, into the fog of his memory.

"Hook was one of the most fearsome capt'ns that ever set sail. His name was legend. Mothers used it to threaten their children inta behavin' ...But Hook, mind ye, was not a bad man. He was a fine gen'leman, catch him in the right mood.

"Hook knew no fear. He threw away his morality, or tried ta - all yer guess and mine if it worked. He got his name when he took over this vessel, see - he found out tha' his dad was sellin' slaves, and that didn't sit too right with the dear capt'n. He took a carving hook, cut open the captain, and took the ship for his own."

Riku listened as Japes continued, telling him of exploits and famous captures. He frowned a bit, trying to hold the picture of the outwardly heartless, inwardly melancholy man, the lover of music and poetry, and the destroyer of fleets, up to the cowardly codfish he had come to know and inwardly sneer at.

"But then he came across a map, and it tore him up inside, until he knew he had to reach it... the fountain of youth, as it were."

"The fountain of youth?"

"Ay, ay."

"What happened?"

"He found it, that's what happened. O'er one hundred year since we set sail, off questing for it. And he bloody found it. Only... it was an island, rather. Not jus' a spring, or a pool, but a whole cursed island.

"I tells the capt'n it would be a bad idea to set foot thar, that it was some magic that would keep the body from agin' and it was unnat'ral, but he figgered that the best prize of all was to trawl the waters for eternity. Better fer Hook that he had less ambition, better fer all of us. He went ashore, with the crew. I stayed behind.

"They came back tellin' tales of a gang of kids, and Indians, and mermaids. The place had some hold on 'em. No matter what, they kept goin' ashore, and slowly I noticed changes. Nothin' phys'cal, mind ye... but nothin' comes without a price.

"It was called the fountain of youth. Not the fountain of life, but the fountain of youth. The island, accordin' ta the Lost Boys, was called Neverland. And it didn't occur to me until it was too late why.

"All of these men here are no longer men, lad; they're boys. Sometimes I wonder whether I'm runnin' a galley or a nursery, the way they act. But they still know the lore, and they still man the ship as before... they just have no more bravery. They're not the men that kill ye as soon as tell ye hullo, but men that will jeer and threaten and wait for sommun else ta start act'l violence. Scare 'em and they shrink back like minnows.

"Hook's hand was cut off by the leader, a lanky lad by the name of Peter Pan, and Peter threw it to a crocodile, who's followed the captain ever since. That crocodile also swallowed a clock, see, so it ticks, and that's how we know it's near. Hook's afraid of it, but unlike the Hook I knew who would have mounted a hunt, he hid and stayed away.

"All Hook cares abou' now is killin' that Peter Pan, but he's not bin able ta. If that's not proof that he's changed, I've no inklin' what is. In fact-"

"_Man overboard!"_

"_All hands on deck!"_

Riku's head shot up, and Japes nodded. "Best ye get goin'. Bit o' commotion out there... wonder what?"

- - - -

Riku raced up the ladder and onto the deck just as Cecco, a handsome Irish devil of a deckhand, was pulled up, holding a limp figure over his shoulder. Even as he ran forward, Riku knew without a doubt who she was.

"Kairi!"

Cecco laid her down on the deck, and the others backed up as Riku shot forward and knelt at her side. "Kairi? Kairi!"

She gave no reply, even when Riku picked her up.

"Where was she?"

"Floating in the nothing," Cecco replied. "There were Shadows about her, but they left as we came."

"Kairi... what happened to you?" Riku gently held her, desperately trying as to look like he knew what to do, that he didn't suddenly feel very, very lost...

"Clear the way," he ordered suddenly, rising to his feet, the girl in his arms. "Cecco, get some water. Mister Smee, we have new coordinates." He paused, then growled inwardly when no one moved. "Well? Get moving, you slugs! Ninety degrees starboard, mind the halyards!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Riku saw Hook's growl as his men leapt to follow Riku's orders.

Riku made his way back belowdecks, making a point to glare anyone who dared to question him into meek submission. If they were going to act like sheep, they would be treated as such, and Riku was in no mood to be challenged. He kept his prideful stance all the way to the empty cabin next to his, where he laid her gently on the cot and slumped down wearily against the door.

Now what?

She had no heartbeat...

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. If I did, Marluxia would not have a flowermobile.**

I swear, in Chain of Memories, that's what it was. It took for-bloody-ever to defeat, too. No, no, Marluxia was simple to beat, with a set pattern... but god did he not want to die.

To summarize why this chapter took so long, I got a new job that starts at seven AM and I also went to A-kon.

It was there I realized, that it really hit home, that Riku officially has managed to slip into my bishie list. I realized this when I squealed and demanded a Riku pin, seeing one for sale. I also insisted upon an Axel button, two L buttons (big surprise there...) a Sepphie pin, a kodama pin... (I came away with about forty buttons, a Dominic Deegan scarf, an expensive tail on a sharp discount (35- 5) and an "Ansem" t-shirt, complete with darkside in the background. I can't believe it; Kingdom Hearts somehow switched from 'meh' to 'yay'. And Axel, Riku and Demyx rock. Yum, bishies.

Xemnas is a bishie, too, as is Saïx, but... eh. I'm sticking with those three from KH. And besides, I got to feed Axel, Sephiroth and Seshoumaru goldfish at con. I actually managed to lure over Sepphie, much to my inner satisfaction and the consternation of everyone else in that circle calling 'him' over.

Con is good.

Buttons are, too.

Got it memorized?


	6. Chapter Five: Interceptors

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Riku's Report #5: Interceptors

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Riku woke with a start at the feel of a shadowy brush on his arm. He blinked, trying to wake up enough to make sense of what was happening.

Kairi hadn't moved from where Riku had placed her, her slight body looking amazingly fragile, all the more so for her lack of motion. _Come on, Kairi... give me some sign you're alive..._

_-She is neither living nor dead.-_

"What?" Riku shot to his feet, casting about himself. "What do you mean? Show yourself!"

There was a vague hiss, as of a soft sigh.

"God damn you," Riku muttered. "Why don't you ever say anything useful? So far, all you've been good for is leading me around in circles."

At a knock on the door, Riku started, then snorted irritably. "What is it?"

_-The living cannot without hearts... and the dead...-_

Riku opened the door. "Will you shut up? Repeat that."

Looking past Riku, and knowing Riku's solitary habits, Cecco could easily tell that he was alone. Apart, of course, from the corpse he insisted on keeping by him at all times... _so who was he talking to? _ The seaman shuffled nervously from one foot to the other, seeing as Riku had apparently decided to become schizophrenic. "Are ya feelin' ill, sir?"

Riku looked back to Kairi, then gave a rueful half-smile. "Never been better. Now repeat what you just said."

The Irish looked much more uncomfortable than before. _Cabin fever? _"I... I said, are ya feelin' under th-"

Were Riku Maleficent, Cecco would have suffered a worse fate than a groan of annoyed frustration and an overdramatic gesture. "_No!_ What you said _before_ that, idiot!"

"Oh." He looked a little comforted, seeing things returning to their natural order, a little. "Whale pacing us, sir. Hook wants yer opin'n."

_A whale?_ Riku let Cecco lead the way for a while before shouldering past him onto the deck.

In the sea, there are definite dimensions. Up is a vast expanse of white-flecked blue, or grey, and below is an everflowing expanse of blue-green, or grey-blue... The sea and sky were always linked together, wind and waves bound together far more tightly than either was with the earth. On the waters, there is left, and right, forward and back. Up is sky, down is a blue abyss.

But in this shadow, all direction was lost, save for those imposed with the mind. They sailed in any direction; navigation was shot, and the crew was nervous. The only guide they had in this infinite black, the only one accustomed to it, was Riku, though many a question had been stifled, wisely or no, for fear of rousing his wrath.

In the sea, one would note a whale by the telltale arc of mist, blown high into the air. One may see one by a grey shape looming, sliding back under and out of sight. One even may see one by its breaching.

In the shadow...

Riku instantly caught sight of the great cetacean pacing them. He'd seen whales before, the great creatures breaching far on the horizon, past the reef... and he'd seen dolphins, who occasionally came into the cove.

But to watch the gigantic creature undulate beside them, its flippers held out at angles to steady it, great flukes beating strongly against a nonexistent current was breathtaking. It was larger than the ship, its great head vaguely rectangular, with scars crisscrossing its immense body. Riku stared as it swam through the shadow, unafraid and alone. No shadow, no phantasmal barrier hindered its majestic passing, and it occurred to Riku that the creature did not even know the meaning of the word 'fear'.

An ocean king without a kingdom... _and you are a king, aren't you?_ Riku asked it, silently._ Your world must have been lost_. _Keep searching... you'll find somewhere._

As if in answer, it let out a long, low note, holding it for a while before gliding smoothly up the scale. The pirates about him had worriedly resumed their duties, and Riku moved aside as someone - Jenkins? - rushed past him, shouting something. The tension was so great it could be cut with Hook's hand - shadow-whales large enough to swallow the ship weren't commonplace. However, the whale kept swimming, oblivious to their presence. "It's no threat to us," Riku called over, giving one of the pirates that insisted on being glued, trembling, to the rail a disgusted look. "Carry on."

"In my cabin, boy," Hook's voice muttered behind him. Riku turned, but the captain was already striding away, leaving Riku no choice but to follow, with a backwards glance to the leviathan.

- - - - - -

"That thing's been following us," Hook started, "and I want to know why. You're the navigator, child, _you_ tell me what that is."

"It's a whale..." Riku's voice was somewhat distracted.

Hook did not look mollified. "You think I don't know that, you malingering maggot? Of _course_ it's a whale! But what else...?"

Riku stared evenly into the man's eyes, not flinching as Hook slashed the air with his deadly prosthetic. "Just a whale. It's not a Heartless."

"Then what," Hook demanded, "is it doing _here?_"

_Good question._ But he expected an answer, and Riku's shrug didn't seem to suffice. Once more taking up the mantle of 'apprentice', he narrowed his eyes, acting as he was expected. "Its world was lost. That's all. It doesn't really have anywhere to go." He then sighed, running a hand through his hair as he lowered his gaze. "Tell the men to keep it broadside while I'm gone."

As expected, Hook reacted with barely-contained outrage. "And I expect you'll be jumping ship while you can, then? I'll not tolerate you to perform such an act of cowardice-"

"No," Riku replied evenly. "You're worried about the whale, so I'll check it out. I'll find out why it's here."

'_Nothing happens without reason. Never forget that anything that comes, comes with expectations. A chance encounter is never truly by chance, and never without meaning... but what meaning will it bring, I wonder?' _ Maleficent's parting words rang in his head, and Riku lifted his chin defiantly. He was beginning to suspect... "Unless of course you want it to follow us back to port."

_Just what do you have planned?_

He watched as the captain tilted his head up, considering. "The girl stays here," he finished. "I need some assurance you'll not jump ship."

"And my word is not enough?"

"I know better than to take the words of that witch or her lackeys at face value. The girl stays."

Riku shrugged. "I wasn't intending to bring her with me. She's safest here." 

Twirling his whisker with the shining hook, the captain replied, "I'll see to it she is not disturbed while you're gone."

Riku nodded, and stepped back, letting the darkness envelop him. He did not break eye contact until Hook had completely melted away, replaced by the velveteen shadow. _Heh. Thanks, but I doubt that anyone would go in there even if you ordered them to,_ he mused to himself in silent reply to Hook's words._ They're afraid of me, more than they are of you. All you can do is kill them..._

He let himself trail through the darkness, not lingering on the following question - what all could Riku do?

He wasn't sure that even he wanted to know.

Once in the darkness, Riku lingered. "I know you're there," he said, his voice distorted and softened into a whispering echo by the cloak of darkness. "What were you saying about Kairi?"

The voice, though Riku could feel its owner's presence lingering about him, said nothing. He got the distinct feeling of annoyance.

'Will you shut up? Repeat that'...

Oh. Right.

"She is neither living nor dead. The living cannot what?" Riku asked aloud, looking behind him to the vast expanse of nothingness that spread in the opposite direction, as opposed to the vast expanse he was facing.

_-Without a heart,-_ the voice finally whispered, a tendril of shadow trailing about Riku's cheek, _-how can one live? But with a soul... how can one die...?-_

With that, a flash of light erupted, causing Riku to give a startled cry. He could feel the shadow against him as it nudged him back out into reality, causing him to fall on hands and knees, gasping for breath. "Guess that's all you're gonna tell me," he muttered. But... without a heart?

So she IS alive! But...

_Without a heart, how can one live?_

The rainbow spilled out before him. It looked as if someone had taken paint and splattered it everywhere... only in odd squares.

Riku stood, warily taking in his surroundings. The air was incredibly moist, and stunk of decay - it took him a while to recover from the stench alone. The walls - were moving?

Sure enough, the walls, and very floor, of the curiously spongy chamber he was in pulsed with a very real rhythm... almost like that of a heartbeat. Every step he took had a slight squelch to it, and when he touched the wall, it was coated in a slight slime. Despite the presence of his hand, the heartbeat continued through the pulsating wall, strong and firm. Veins coursed through the membranes.

Though the light was dim, it was not pitch black, as he would have expected. Glancing up, Riku could even see the vague outlines of a ribcage - so... he must be in the belly of the great whale.

"Sorry, but I'm not here to be digested," he told the 'wall', giving it a soft thump. Glancing about him, Riku could make out the masted outlines of other ships, lying breached in great pools of stomach acid, or water... or both. "And you keep that up, you'll get indigestion, anyway."

He leapt down, keeping out of the liquid, and made his way down across a large vein and into a smaller chamber. He was still wandering when a small voice said, "Hello. Who are you?"

Startled, Riku turned around, a blade formed of shadow materializing in his hand before he relaxed... vaguely. What looked to be a walking, talking, and very much alive puppet was staring at him, head cocked vaguely to the side.

"Uh, I'm Riku. _What_ are you?"

"I'm Pinocchio!" the marionette replied, leaping across the gap to join Riku. For his part, Riku couldn't help but stare at the puppet. _Is this for real? _"And I'm gonna be a real boy someday. Just wait and see!"

"...Good luck with that," Riku replied, not able to tear his eyes away from this... thing. Slowly he let his blade evaporate, after deciding that Pinocchio wasn't a threat.

"So did the whale swallow you, too?" Pinocchio asked, craning its head to look up at Riku. The boy crouched down to Pinocchio's level, squatting on one knee and peering closely at him. "Huh? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Riku replied hurriedly, straightening up.

"Oh." Pinocchio shrugged, moving off to inspect something that had caught its eye. Riku narrowed his eyes in thought.

No chance encounter is ever truly by chance. 

_Without a heart, how can one live?_

She is neither living nor dead...

One by one, the pieces clicked into place. _Then..._

One ceased to live, and another began...

Is this the key? 

The moment he glanced up again, Pinocchio was gone. "Great," Riku muttered. "So it's hide and seek now?"

- - - - - - - - - -

Everywhere Riku went looked just the same. _I can't even tell if I _am_ going in circles... this is insane._ For a moment he paused, thinking... then...

"With this, we can get out of here, Father!"

The cavernous expanse within the whale's gut provided marvelous acoustics. That was undeniably Pinocchio -

Riku followed the sound, winding up at an opening high above.

"Really? With this big block?" 'Father' asked, leaning over. He looked just like he sounded - a kindly old soul. "You think so?"

"It's true."

_No... can it be...?_

Apparently, it could. "So... how did you end up here, Pinocchio?" Sora, together with his new friends, pulled himself up onto the ship the puppet and his 'father' shared. 

_He knows him?!_

"Oh, my, so the whale swallowed all of you, too?" Pinocchio's 'father' asked, walking over to them. "My goodness!"

"Yeah," Sora shrugged, "Looks like it."

"My name is Geppetto," the old man told them. "I'm Pinocchio's father. When we got separated, I traveled all over looking for him..."

Pinocchio suddenly turned, catching sight of Riku. Caught by an inexplicable panic, Riku held one finger to his lips, shook his head, and ran off.

Once out of sight, he sank against a pulsing wall, leaning on it for support. Just when he thought he had the answer, something else had to come in. But why was Sora here? Of all the places for a reunion...

"Leave it to you to get trapped in here," he muttered.

"Leave it to who?"

Riku nearly jumped out of his skin. He masked it well - by whirling around and taking a defensive stance. Perfectly masked. There was no way to tell he had been startled...

Pinocchio laughed. "Hehe, did I scare you?"

"Yeah, I'm terrified." _Actually, you _do_ creep me out. _ "Why did you follow me?"

"I got bored."

Figures.

"Wanna play something?"

The question took Riku by surprise at first. This puppet really was like a little kid... "Uh... I guess." Before thinking he had answered. Wonderful. Well, there was no backing out once he'd agreed...

"Kay. So what do you want to play?"

"What? How would I know? You were the one who suggested it."

"Oh yeah. Um... this place is great for hide-and-seek..."

"Are you kidding? I'd _never_ find you!" _What the hell am I doing?_

But what was he supposed to do, anyway? He'd been led here, to find something that made his skin crawl, be further reminded that his best friend willingly ditched him, and, for all he could see, for no real reason.

No, that wasn't right. There was a reason. But... what was he supposed to do with this.. thing?

While he was thinking, the marionette was, too. Suddenly it leapt forward, shrieked "Tag!" and dashed away.

"Hey!" Riku took chase.

They ran through great chambers, long tunnels, slick with mucus, and past half-decaying things. Something pale and tentacled caught Riku's eye for a moment, but Pinocchio kept running.

Pinocchio turned a corner, and suddenly Riku stopped, seeing Pinocchio's reaction.

"What are you doing?" Sora demanded, stepping into view.

"You know, Geppetto's awrfully worried about you," the dog-thing added.

Pinocchio edged closer to Riku, grinning.

"Pinocchio, stop fooling around," Sora told him, sounding annoyed. "This is no time for games."

The marionette still didn't budge, and to Riku's amazement, the trio turned around to leave.

_Oh, no you don't._

"But Sora, I thought you liked games," Riku called, moving into view. Sora whirled as Riku continued, placing his hands on his hips. "Or are you too cool to play them now that you have the keyblade?"

"Riku?" Sora took a step forward. "Wh- what are you doing here?"

_Good question._ "Just playing with Pinocchio."

"You know what I mean," Sora told him, stamping his foot with a 'mush'. "What about Kairi? Did you find her?"

_What, it's my job to find her? While you have all the fun, I get all the work... how typical. Bet you'll take the credit, too._ "Maybe," Riku replied, then suddenly grinned. "Catch us, and maybe I'll tell you what I know!"

Sora slashed at the air, lowering his stance. "Come on!"

In reply, Riku crouched, taking hold of Pinocchio's wrist, and dashed away. He released the puppet's hand a moment later, in order to run, and Pinocchio darted off in the opposite direction.

"Split up! Can't chase us both!" the puppet called as he vanished into the distance.

Riku was about to follow him when a familiar voice lilted, "Why do you still care about that boy?"

_I knew it. So you WERE behind this!_

Maleficent glided forward, darkly elegant even in the clashing kaleidoscope of the whale's gut. "He has all but deserted you for the keyblade and his new companions, after all."

"I don't care about him," Riku replied, turning to face Maleficent. "I was just messing with him a little."

Evidently, Maleficent believed Riku about as much as Riku believed himself. "Oh really?" she inquired, sounding none too convinced. "Of _course_ you were." She started towards Riku, gliding smoothly past him as she continued. "Beware the darkness in your heart. The heartless prey upon it."

"Mind your own business!" Riku snapped as Maleficent stepped into a forming portal and vanished. For a moment further he seethed inwardly, then took off to find Pinocchio. Odds were, where he found that puppet, he'd find Sora...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. If I did, it wouldn't have Pinocchio in it.**

Due to the length, I'm breaking it here. I need to update, this is what I have. More is on the way, and hey - I even have a nice little rant planned out for Monstro, Part II. Sadly, I can't do both at once, which is why Monstro, true to form, gets two chapters, primarily because it's so large.

And yes, Myowln, the chapters are named after Coliseum Seeds. I'm seriously impressed you got that.

Normally, this is where I would rant endlessly about something or other, and yes, I intend to. But while it would normally be about Peter Pan, and trust me, I who grew up on Fox's Peter Pan and the Pirates and J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan, _hated_ the Disney version, and while it would normally be on things maritime, which was ingrained so deeply into my being at a young age that I cannot help but look upon it fondly... I'll have to save it for later, again. Already that rant was postponed once before, and I figure I can either postpone it, or combine it with this one. For yes, while I hated Disney's Peter Pan...

...I also hated Pinocchio.

The first part of the movie was okay. How on earth Geppetto thought any schoolteacher would willingly let a possessed marionette into his/her classroom is beyond me, but in any case, the daft old man sends out a clueless, and I mean _clueless_ construct into the world. He's never been outside before, mind you, and you think he'll find the school? I'm amazed he got as far as he _did_. Oh sure, a little bug tells you to go somewhere, but hey, crickets talk to me all the time and I've yet to make any sense of them, let alone heed them. (They also make a mass migration into schools and office buildings in summer-fall here in the southern stretch of the US, for some inexplicable reason, but I digress.)

So Pinoch goes out, and lo and behold, is met by a singing pair of furres - um, I mean... 'bad guys'. He goes with them, they take him to the boss, Pinocchio becomes a star for a bit, and his nose becomes unhappy with its length and decides to alter it. Okay, so it was when he lied, but bah. Still strange if you ask me.

Monstro, a whale that somehow got a name somewhere along the way, decides to swallow Geppetto. I think Monstro is a sperm whale, but he looks like some bizarre mix of blue and sperm. I still hold to sperm, however, seeing that a blue is among the baleen whales, and Monstro has teeth.

This is when it really gets freaky.

So Pinocchio finds this eternal fairground, and has the time of his life - sex, drugs and alcohol (okay, two out of three isn't bad) abound. And because it makes so much sense, everyone starts turning into donkeys, even the wooden puppet.

After escaping, the fur- um... well, the _half-_furre leaves with Jimminy, whereupon he chances upon a dove with a note telling him of the fate of his 'father'.

Note - in the original story, Monstro was a shark. A big shark. A Terrible Shark, to be exact, and one without a name. Why it got converted to a cetacean, I don't know, but it seemed appropriate to throw that last book in, considering both Hook's Ahabian obsession with a certain flying twelve-year-old and Monstro... being Monstro.

Pinocchio and Geppetto escape in the way that DOESN'T work in the original story, and Monstro gets angry and gives chase. Pinocchio drowns - yes. Drowns. I swear to whatever's out there, be it only my imagination or some higher power, that's what happened. A possessed marionette with ears and a tail drowns.

What. The. Fuck.

Geppetto and Jimminy are oh so sad, and so are Cleo and Figaro, the fish and the cat. The Blue Fairy descends, gives a brief monologue about pure hearts and all that good stuff, and revives Pinocchio, making him a real boy.

But how do you drown a wooden figure? I mean, think about it. Wood doesn't drown. If that were the case, God help anyone who ever put a BOAT out to shore.

I know, I know... 'Kal, it's just a story. Stop using a fanfic as a personal blog and just get on with the fic already.'

But sometimes, you have to wonder.

It always made me wonder, too, just _how_ Riku came into the picture there. I can get Sora being in Monstro, but Riku's showing up there is just a tad surreal. That is, a tad more surreal than it already was. Sure, he had a reason, or they manufactured one - Pinocch had a heart, Kairi didn't. But do you really think you can transfer the heart of one into another and think it'll be the same person? Surely Riku's not that dumb. So what was he going to use him for, research? That's Vexen's job, dear.

I mean, it's a bit contrived.

Maleficent: Your friend was eaten by a whale. Incidentally, the self same whale has also swallowed another being, a wooden puppet with a heart. Who knows...? The puppet may provide some answers to helping Kairi...

Ever since I first saw Riku in Monstro, I wanted to see that scene play out. Of course, any time Maleficent gets scripted, I reread her lines in Sleeping Beauty (not trusting to Kingdom Hearts' version of her in order to get back into character...)

Oh, didn't you know? Whenever I script in anyone, and I mean _any_one, I read as much as I can, in order to keep to character. Thanks to the fact KH draws off Disney, I have quite a bit of material. And thanks to the fact that Riku's elusive, I can skip _so_ much. Really, I'm not complaining because I get Peter Pan and Pinocchio. Really. I know it could be worse.

...actually, not really. I wouldn't mind any other of the levels in there as much as these ones. Why do I get stuck with the things that make me cringe when I think Disney? I love Lion King. Beauty and the Beast rocked, too, which is cool, because I get to play with Beast a bit. And I'm THRILLED I get Maleficent... which is probably more than a little obvious.

But do I really, really have to deal with Chucky's cousin and the kid from Hell? Peter's an annoying bastard. And Pinocchio freaks me out.


End file.
